Thank you to everyone that entered this year. Special thank you to my judges as well. First off, here were the winners from this year's Hallway Contest. I'm leaving out names since I do not know how the winners wish to be credited.

I have already started discussing and restructuring the Hallway Contest. We wanted to make sure that this event was going to be successful before we wanted to implement any major changes.

The Awards

These are changing a lot. The awards are now getting a tier system and two of the awards will be available on separate days. As it stands, the new awards will look like this:

Best Individual Novice (Friday and Saturday)
Best Individual Journeyman (Friday and Saturday)
Best Group Novice (Friday and Saturday)
Best Group Journeyman (Friday and Saturday)
Three judges awards (One a piece for both days)
Rising Star (One for both days)
Best Child (One for both days and only if a minimum of three compete)
Best American Based Cosplay (One for both days)
and finally The Thriftiness Award (Closet Cosplay)

The Rising Star Award goes to the individual I see as being the person with the highest amount of potential with limited experience. The Thrift Award will be mostly based off of Character Likeness and the best ability at using what is available. Yes, digging through your closet is a way to enter in this, but the way you use the things at your immediate disposal will be how you are judges. Creativity is the biggest key for this award.

The way you enter will still be the same. Arrive at the hours of operation, fill out a form, then get judged on the spot.

YOU CANNOT COMPETE IN THE MASQUERADE WITH THE COSTUME YOU ENTER INTO THE HALLWAY. THIS IS A MAJOR RULE. IF YOU BREAK IT, YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME. I GO TO BOTH EVENTS.

Since there was a lot of confusion with this, this year, I am adding an award for American Based video games, movies and cartoons. But there is only one award for this. Keep this in mind.

THIS WILL BE A REQUIREMENT FOR NEXT YEAR. YOU HAVE A YEAR TO PREPARE FOR THIS. YOU MUST BRING AT LEAST ONE PROGRESS PHOTO (unless you are competing for the Thrift award) AND YOU MUST BRING A REFERENCE PHOTO. NO IF, ANDS OR BUTS.

You have been given MAJOR advance. You do not bring these two things, you will not be allowed to enter. It can be on your camera, cell phone, laptop, iPhone, I don't care, but it MUST be available for the judges to look at.

The new rules will be posted a few months before the convention, but now is the time to voice any questions, concerns, comments or suggestions. Thank you everyone for helping to make this event work. There are big plans for the Masquerade department in general next year and I can't wait to be able to share it all with you.

First off: Thank you Jessie for running the show. And thank you to the judges who were very nice. It appears that you all had a hard time with judging, there were so many great costumes.

Second: Congrats to all the winners, you all looked great!

I like the changes you are going to implement. I very much approve of the progress photo(s). It is such a help to the judges I'm sure.

I'm guessing not, but is there any way we can get critiques for our costumes. Or just general ideas of stuff to pay more attention to in future cosplays? I'm not sure you guys really took any notes, at least for the group of people I was with. You guys got distracted by the real weight Skuld hammer...lol Trying to play real life whack-a-mole

Anyways, it was great fun, and I can wait to see any of the staff/judges at other cons this year, and back again at ACEN next year. And again thank you fto all the staff and judges, your efforts do not go unappreciated.

First off: Thank you Jessie for running the show. And thank you to the judges who were very nice. It appears that you all had a hard time with judging, there were so many great costumes.

Second: Congrats to all the winners, you all looked great!

I like the changes you are going to implement. I very much approve of the progress photo(s). It is such a help to the judges I'm sure.

I'm guessing not, but is there any way we can get critiques for our costumes. Or just general ideas of stuff to pay more attention to in future cosplays? I'm not sure you guys really took any notes, at least for the group of people I was with. You guys got distracted by the real weight Skuld hammer...lol Trying to play real life whack-a-mole

Anyways, it was great fun, and I can wait to see any of the staff/judges at other cons this year, and back again at ACEN next year. And again thank you fto all the staff and judges, your efforts do not go unappreciated.

PS: Toradora Rocks!

You guys were good sports and it's always nice to meet more Toradora! fans :3

As far as the critiques go, they love to give them. I think on the sheet next year I'll have a small box to check if you would like a formal critique since a lot of people are sensitive and do not wish to get critiques, the judges do not want to step on any toes. This way, it lets them know you want them to give you one.

You guys were good sports and it's always nice to meet more Toradora! fans :3

As far as the critiques go, they love to give them. I think on the sheet next year I'll have a small box to check if you would like a formal critique since a lot of people are sensitive and do not wish to get critiques, the judges do not want to step on any toes. This way, it lets them know you want them to give you one.

They also had an INCREDIBLY hard time choosing winners.

I like that idea. I am sensitive to critiques, so it would be nice to have that option. ><

"Nothing good can ever come from staying with normal people" -Harry MacDougal

You guys were good sports and it's always nice to meet more Toradora! fans :3

As far as the critiques go, they love to give them. I think on the sheet next year I'll have a small box to check if you would like a formal critique since a lot of people are sensitive and do not wish to get critiques, the judges do not want to step on any toes. This way, it lets them know you want them to give you one.

They also had an INCREDIBLY hard time choosing winners.

Well i for one would love any and all critiques. you can't improve if you never learn. Constructive criticism is what i could use to make my cosplays better. But I would guess since the con has passed it would be hard to do so now, without notes from the judging that took place this year. Also I would consider my cosplay this year was more of a closet cosplay. I really only had to do some modifications, and make all the props...see my avatar, that was what I wore. But if anyone remembers it, and want to critique it, please do.

Did the judges formally write things down?
I just want to know how our group did.
We were the Super Mario villains. I know we lost, but I wish there was some way to see the judges comments or something...

I am thinking of entering next year.
I was going to try for this year but I didn't meet the qualifications.

next year I already have two ideas as for what to enter as.

Question time!

1 - when we enter do we have to say what category we're entering under?
2 - if so can we enter under several categories? (like character likeness and best individual novice?)
3 - what do you want to see in the progress picture? i normally take one with everything on so i can see how things fit and what not? Do you want to see like the sewing or gluing or what not?

Thank you for running the hall contest. It was fun to see everyone's costumes and talk about mine.

I, for one, would really appreciate the option for critiques. Not-Gwen was my first costume and I know it had more issues than the ones I found. There is a dearth of cosplayers in my area, and my friends, super-nice people that they are, won't tell me when something I do looks crummy. Critiques would help out a lot!

Did the judges formally write things down?
I just want to know how our group did.
We were the Super Mario villains. I know we lost, but I wish there was some way to see the judges comments or something...

Oh and King Boo ftw.

They did. They had notebooks to write notes down on. Most of the writing was done in between contestants.

I wasn't judging when you guys came in, so I cannot speak for them, I will try to get one of the judges in here.

Sa-chan, on May 13 2009, 01:14 PM, said:

I was going to enter it this year but I heard that the character likeness was thrown out and I am reallllly good in that category XD

But I'm definitely doing it next year!!

To be honest, we weren't supposed to have it, but when I went to find my awards, it was there.

LiberaFatali, on May 13 2009, 01:22 PM, said:

so if youre that taiga girl,

(i was with that nia from gurren lagann.)

i was wondering if you uploaded the pictures you took from your super nice camera! haha

Unfortunately, my super nice camera was not used to her abilities this weekend. The photos I took were strictly, and ashamed to say, not reallly worth posting.

CrimsonAnime, on May 13 2009, 03:01 PM, said:

I am thinking of entering next year.

1 - when we enter do we have to say what category we're entering under?
2 - if so can we enter under several categories? (like character likeness and best individual novice?)
3 - what do you want to see in the progress picture? i normally take one with everything on so i can see how things fit and what not? Do you want to see like the sewing or gluing or what not?

That's all! Thanks!

1. No
2. See above since this question is now irrelevant.
3. Anything and everything.

Tokoz, on May 13 2009, 05:12 PM, said:

Thank you for running the hall contest. It was fun to see everyone's costumes and talk about mine.

I, for one, would really appreciate the option for critiques. Not-Gwen was my first costume and I know it had more issues than the ones I found. There is a dearth of cosplayers in my area, and my friends, super-nice people that they are, won't tell me when something I do looks crummy. Critiques would help out a lot!

Hey, Not Gwen! Thanks a lot :3 I'll be sure to implement a critique system next year.

omnichild, on May 14 2009, 06:30 PM, said:

Question (and sorry if it has been asked/answered already, didn't read through.)

Dunno.
We were just talking about entering a Touhou group... I'll let you know if the group starts to somehow get huge... not too likely though.

As long as you don't go crazy, should be fine. Just remember Quality over Quantity. Just because you have a large group doesn't mean you are guaranteed to win and not everyone in the group has to compete.

I'm definitely interested in this although this will be my first time doing something like this and my third con. I'm just wondering but can you post a summary of the procedure? I mean, I get the fact that we need a photo[s] of our progress other than the Closet Cosplay one but. .other than that, what do we actually have to do?

Is there a time and place that we need to go for it and do we fill the form there or before acen? -confused- Sorry for the er. .lack of understanding!